ALPINE CHANTER. 259 



middle ; the lower mandible with the angle narrow, the dorsal 

 line straight, the sides inflected, the tip narrow. The feet are 

 rather stout ; the tarsus compressed, with eight anterior scu- 

 tella ; the toes of moderate length ; the hind toe stout, with 

 seven scutella, the second with nine, the third with thirteen, 

 the fourth with ten. The plumage is blended ; the wings are 

 of ordinary length ; the first quill very small, being only ten- 

 twelfths of an inch long, the second, third, and fourth almost 

 equal, but the third longest. The tail is of moderate length, 

 and even. 



The upper mandible is dusky, excepting its basal margins, 

 which are yellowish- white, of which colour are three-fourths of 

 the lower mandible, its tip only being brown. The feet are 

 reddish-brown, the claws dusky. The head, hind part and 

 sides of the neck, are dull light brownish-grey ; the feathers of 

 the back blackish-brown, with greyish -brown margins ; the 

 rump of the latter colour. The wing-coverts are dusky, mar- 

 gined with reddish-brown ; the first row of small coverts, and 

 the secondary coverts, tipped with white ; the quills blackish- 

 brown, the inner secondaries brownish-black, margined with 

 reddish-brown. The tail is of the same colours, and tipped 

 with white. The cheek-feathers and ear-coverts are brown, 

 with a central whitish streak ; on the throat is a large patch 

 of greyish-white, marked with small triangular dusky spots ; 

 the sides and part of the breast are light brownish-red mixed 

 with grey ; the sides of the neck, its lower part anteriorly, and 

 the fore part of the breast, are of the same brownish-grey as 

 the hind-neck ; the abdomen greyish- white ; the lower tail- 

 coverts greyish-brown, margined with brownish-white. 



Length to end of tail 7 inches ; bill along the ridge ^^ ; 

 along the edge of lower mandible y | ; wing from flexure 3 j\ ; 

 tail2| ; tarsus 1^^^ ; hind toe i\, its claw |^^ ; second toe |i, its 

 claw l\ ; third toe y\, its claw t% ; fourth toe ||, its claw 1%. 



Female. — The female is similar to the male. 



Habits. — This species, which is said to be of frequent occur- 

 rence in the Alps, and in the mountainous parts of Germany, 



